‘Blazes Along the Trail’: Exploring David Milne’s Imaginative Vision

Over the course of his career, David Milne (1882-1953) recorded his beliefs about artmaking and his own artistic practice. In identifying what was at the core of an individual’s creativity, the term he deemed most appropriate for describing artistic impetus was “feeling.” Feeling is the power that drives art. …As the work progresses, feeling increases…. Each painter develops feeling in his own way, follows his own path.

David Milne wrote extensively about his work in correspondence, personal journals and essays. His inspiration to explore other mediums to support his painting helped to foster new considerations in his approach to his art-making.  …What I had in mind was exploration. Each print-making or painting process has possibilities of its own, not to be found in any other. Milne adds that the resulting dry-point printmaking efforts provided …blazes along the trail. This exhibition presents a selection of works from core areas of Milne’s artistic practice in oil painting, watercolours, dry-point prints as well as acquisitions which have been newly conserved for this display. The exhibition will also include photographs of David Milne by Douglas Duncan, Canadian art collector, and Director of the Picture Loan Society as well as a long-time friend of the artist. All works on display have been drawn from the Art Gallery of Windsor’s permanent collection.